From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person; then to Serapion
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Two letters — the first on God's superiority to all change, as the source of transformation for those who need it; the second a witty remark on the virtue of concision in writing.
Grace is superior to all change. As the scripture says: "See, see that I AM, and I have not changed." It is God who changes and transforms and improves and leads those who need it to a better condition. He does not change; he is the one who changes others. This distinction matters: it means that genuine transformation does not come from within the self alone, but from the one who is immovable — and who, precisely because he is not moved by anything, can move everything.
To Serapion: If to say more than is necessary is not the mark of a man, then to write more than is necessary would be women's work. So let us both — in speaking and in writing — keep to proper measure, and not go beyond what the subject requires. I observe this rule now by ending here.
Context:Two letters — the first on God's superiority to all change, as the source of transformation for those who need it; the second a witty remark on the virtue of concision in writing.
Grace is superior to all change. As the scripture says: "See, see that I AM, and I have not changed." It is God who changes and transforms and improves and leads those who need it to a better condition. He does not change; he is the one who changes others. This distinction matters: it means that genuine transformation does not come from within the self alone, but from the one who is immovable — and who, precisely because he is not moved by anything, can move everything.
To Serapion: If to say more than is necessary is not the mark of a man, then to write more than is necessary would be women's work. So let us both — in speaking and in writing — keep to proper measure, and not go beyond what the subject requires. I observe this rule now by ending here.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.